Restitution Workgroup Meeting Minutes Friday, December 10, 2021

Restitution Workgroup Meeting Minutes

Friday, December 10, 2021 | 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

meet.google.com/osu-hedb-knt

Agenda

● Welcome and Tech Tip Overview

● Goals and Objectives

○ Reinvigorate the Victim Restitution Workgroup

○ Review Survey Results from September Meeting

○ Identify actionable, short-term goals and timelines to advance recommendations

of the Victim Services Report on Restitution

● Review Recent Workgroup Survey Results

● Open Discussion

● Workgroup Goals Moving Forward and Development of 2022 Strategy

Legislation to propose statutory changes to Maryland’s restitution law - research into what goes

on in the country and have a meeting to discuss that

Need to do analysis of ability to pay - setting payment plans in ability to pay - this has to be an

expressed piece of this - otherwise we will keep doing what we’re doing is setting restitution by

months supervised and restitution due - what is the methodology for doing this? Personnel or

resource assigned - periodic review otherwise we’re chasing unrealistic restitution goals - they

have expectations that they will see something and they don’t -

- Examining offenders ability to pay restitution

Missing - coming up with allowing credit card payments, online payments, google pay - having

someone send a money order is way out of date; periodic payment on credit card - helps the

payers and payees since the money just goes -- this might be something legislative

Concern for unemployed offenders - how do we enforce restitution for them? Disappointment is

to victims to believe career offender has ability to pay restitution - it just doesn’t happen and this

happens a lot in Baltimore City

Wholistic JRA approach - redirecting offenders in a way they are not accustomed to - if they’re

someone that’s never been employed, also the responsibility of the offender to make sure they’re

changing their frame of mind as well - very large undertaking to make this happen. If we’re

feeding this as holistic approach and reducing prison populations, we will have to find some way

to hold them accountable. Chronic unemployment - systemic problem

Director of CCU - Anthony F. - working with CCU - should be short-term as well as long term -

technological perspective - can have some input there - and collections procedures - do take

credit cards, can pay online - we’re already there, gone through that experience

Arnissa - DPP - former agent - familiar with the struggles of trying to get clients to pay given

their skillset, work history, familiar with it all

Bobbi - restitution coordinator - DJS - challenges to get the youth to pay appearances - victims

call often because they think just because in court they’re owed money that they’ll get it. DJS

system is antiquated so only can accept check or money order

Don Z. - general counsel of OPD - can only second Russell’s observation - in all of these

meetings, so many of these problems go back to the fact that in Maryland, restitution is paid by

check or money order when all of our kids are venmo’ing each other. This should be a priority -

maybe instead of waiving RFP to go through DPP, redo system or short term solutions that can

be explored - doesn’t make sense to bring CCU into the process because they’re the only one

who can take electronic payment when you can set up a system to take electronic payments.

Doesn’t seem to be a bridge too far. This should be top priority. We’re in the time of year - things

in the mail will be delayed. Shouldn’t be an issue here. Should be looked at exploring pay pal,

venmo, etc. That’s how people transact commerce and business these days.

- If we can tackle this, the obvious problem, in 2022, maybe some other problems will

resolve on their own

Ellen - DOL - Maryland REENTRY navigator - statewide team of workforce professionals that

do inreach to prison and work with inmates prior to release .. workforce coaching and barrier

removal - aware of situation where recently released individuals are having hard time to pay bills

- trying to prepare them for sustainable careers - be willing to participate in any extent that the

group helps to be informed with inmates - perspective might be able to hammer out a solution to

number of problems - want to see people be successful and contribute to society and victims get

reimbursed

Karen - perhaps doing a training program whereby the offender could receive the stipend, $25

every two weeks could go to victim - would like to see this come out to play, would get them

into workforce, would make them taxpayers, and allow them something to do with their free time

- noticed that in the outskirts of Maryland, more richer areas, offenders are able to pay restitution

- the problem is sometimes it’s paid directly to victim and no way to keep record; for the most

part, do see a lot of restitution paid - are some when it’s transferred out of state - crime victim

notification request form or the agent forgot to include the restitution - do have to say for the

most part, restitution is being paid - some things we still have to work on Director of Victim

Services Unit dpscs

Judge Cox - training for judiciary - lock into traditional training for judiciary - new judge

orientation where there’s a section that talks about criminal law - getting some information

included about restitution would be great - annual conference, get this on an agenda at annual

conference to hear about restitution issues periodically (outreach) - proposed specialized training

on juvenile law and family law - some discussion underway - statewide training

Lisa Nixon - DPP - formerly was an agent - conduct monthly audits and collection/disbursement

of money to victims - act as a liaison for Montgomery and JRA program - suspended right now

because of COVID - want to see back online and payments made while incarcerated - work

heavily with IT systems and workgroups dealing with that, policies, procedures

Are reports generated that give that information - total ordered, paid out ODDV -

Martha Danner DPP director - like colleague - supervise individuals that have restitution

responsibilities - yes it is the same system that it was when she was agent - looking into

improving the system -- ability to pay, basing payment plan - how does law apply for that? For

DPSCS, when someone is under supervision, have to set up payment plan for them to have the

restitution paid by time of case closes -- at least make good faith effort to pay something

CSG Olivia - Justice Center - provide resources with some of the practices seen -

DoIT - global solutions that will help global services that help collections - economy of scale -

central collections that have system to collect - earnings withholding order - implement this

Tia Brunson - DPSCS - administrator at DPP - thoughts for the goals that have been identified -

enhancing training protocols whereas the old added, if you know better you do better… a lot of

times we find that error is made like a human error; misplaced key stroke or information -

Double edged sword - we need legislative changes - realistic repayment - for something to be

realistic there’s a lot of restitution cleared, however once restitution ordered is cleared there is a

continuum of interest - interest amount as high as $20k or more after someone has paid the

restitution - legislative things

For those working in re-entry, do you have restitution information for the offender?